Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

[Cliff]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Did you ever read a book called putting out of your mind?

Most good players can hit a great shot ball after ball. But it's the putting that will prove to be the big $$$ winner at the end of the day, get this right and the rest of the game is easy.. so they say!!

Thats why i'm on my 4th putter in 10 years, haha 2ball is so far my best to date

[LowPost42]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Luck is born when hard work meets opportunity.

"The more I practice, the luckier I get" - I don't remember which golfer said this, but I'm pretty sure it was either Gary Player or Sam Snead.

[GregJWillis]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Lee Travino - This was his reply to a golf journalist who suggested he had been lucky to win.

[gord962]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

He is a +3 not a 3. A +3 is better than scratch

[Mr_Change]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

+3 in 7 years is a very good accomplishment, my goal is to just be scratch. within 10 years, hehehe 18 now and still have 8.5 years left. I'll be 38 well almost 39.

I would love to see you get into the tour, it is great when people go against the odds and make it to the top level. I will be cheering for you and I'm sure the rest of the guys from this site will be aswell.

[Cliff]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

akhindaria

What part of the country do you play your golf.. I'm in Oxfordshire

I play in two scratch leagues and enjoy the comp along the way.

[akhindaria]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Guys/Gals:

Thanks for your encouraging words.

I play in and around Charlotte NC, USA.

I will dilligently post my results good or bad, you all can be my arm chair psychologists. My first pro tournament is coming up the first week of March.

Which board should I post the results on?

BTW, I have read "putting out of your mind" (I buy into it whole heartedly) and all of Bob Rotella's books. I read and re-read the one particular one, it is synopsis of his other writings, it is "the golfers mind, play to play great". It is amazing how a few bad shots or a few missed putts will play havoc with your confidence. If there was one book I would consider indispensible it is this one, I recommend it to everyone.

Regards,

Adi

[Cliff]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

I have a friend on tour now I will send you his details... I was also lucky to play against Luke Donald in a scratch match when he was a lad before pro..

He was very good then, now he is working hard on the tour I wish him well too....

[golf_scholar88]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Guys, I just turned 18 yesterday infact and I am serious about my game and am attempting to make a run at a scholarship or any way to play college golf. My handicap is around 10 right now but I feel it will drop to around 5 by the beginning of the year because I am going to the range everyday throughout this awful winter season. My swing is starting to come around and I feel as if I have alot more control with my swing and shaping the ball into a fade or a draw on command. Do you guys think its attainable for a guy like me to go somewhere with golf if I can enter into some tournaments this year and be successful even though its my first year of competition...honestly?

[MPLAVLEGL]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Don't under estimate a real pro. Tour pros are so much better than club pros it is a joke. A +3 at my home course which is a fairly difficult couse
couldnt break 80 at some of the courses the Tour Pros play. If you have not seen a real tour pro live treat yourself to a amazing display of golf.

[chessbum]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Guys,

In regards to the original question, I ask you to consider touring PGA pro and now Senior tour player Larry Nelson.

• He never played the game as a child
• Read Hogan's Five Fundamentals of golf while on military service in vietnam
• STARTED PLAYING AT AGE 21, Folks....
• Qualified for PGA tour at age 27 !!!! Yep, that's right...

Check out his bios....

http://www.linksplayers.com/PLAYER_P...ry_nelson.html

Chessbum....

[tigerwoops]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Calvin peete look him up started golf in his 20s 13 tour wins

[rogue]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Greg et al.:

One can infinitely enhance ones abilities and get more out of limited experience if you take the "right memories" out of a situation.

Also, a "young" brain can absorb more because it is not hampered by reality as well as any past negative thoughts. Here is a challenge, do you belive that you can train your brain to be as open as it was when you were 20. Remember, physiologically nothing has changed, mentally though you ahve burdened yourself over the years .......I know a bit about physiology

I would agree with some of this but not all. Physiologically things ave changed as we get older. The wiring and connections in our brain get stronger and stronger and more ingrained. This IS a PHYSIOLOGICAL change and its the reason we all seem to live out our daily lives so repeatably. Associations are build up over time and the more we repeat them the more they repeat themselves, its a vicious circle.

However i also agree with your first statement. You can slectively decide what you want to remember and you can train your brain to behave differently, or have different beliefs. Unfortunately REALITY is the main determinant of our beliefs. If we shank shots then we are more likley to continue shanking especially if the memory of that shank is very emotional (emotional response is not in our short term control). We can work towards imporvement of our beliefs or mental state by the folowing

1. Imagery, make up video reels in your head of playing great
2. Imagery, go through your REAL best shots/holes in your head
3. Reinforcement of good shots through tagging e.g a foot tap or club twirl
4. less emotional response to bad shots - this requires a lot of long term discipline. Bhuddism or similar theories can change your deconstrucion of what really matters.
5. Do things that make you confident. Play the red tees and shoot under par to create a new belief. Play texas scramble with yourself and see what is possible.


There are many more ways, but im saving them for a book. Unfortunately to become top player you have to balance out confidence building and confidence lowering. lowering of confidence serves the purpose of forcing us to improve faster, and motivates us (think attempting a difficult challenge that we can only complete 1/10 times. Confidence building is great for building new beliefs, but only leads to stagnation in learning and motivation. Think the person who has lost all that weight and their friends tell them they look so good. Now they have no motivation left and they soon pile the wieght back on. Vice versa, the people who lose the weight are the ones with the highest motivation becasue they have gotten to breaking point with their confidence.

[hoform22xu]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

Guys, In regards to the original question, I ask you to consider touring PGA pro and now Senior tour player Larry Nelson.
http://www.cuinsurance.org/xiaofang1.jpg
http://www.cuinsurance.org/xiaofang2.jpg
http://www.cuinsurance.org/xiaofang3.jpg

[ozodin]

Re: Does age really matter to be good golf player or professional?

I hope it doesn't
I turned 70 this dec
Have played for 50 yrs and my hip has gone done every yr.....I plan on making this my best yr ever
So I am working out every day with golf fitness exercises..peak8 for endurance
Have also decided to concentrate this winter on fairway woods to battle the youngsters
I am a8hcp now need to drop that to a 3

So it will be a journey
But at least I have a map